Fencing and the Olympics
This competiton was introduced in the Olympic games in 1896. The modern pentathlon also incorporates epee fencing. The fencing rule did not permit women to participate in competitions in epee and saber till recently. Now USFA & FIE offer national fencing competitions for women in epee and saber. Women's epee competition was held for the first time in the Olympic games in 1996.
Only foil and saber were introduced in the first modern Olympics. The epee was introduced in 1900 and was electrified in the 1936 Olympic games. Until recently, fencing was the only Olympic sport that allowed professionals to participate. There has been much controversy about the transformation of saber fencing to suit electric judging and the subsequent adoption of an aggressive and athletic style of fencing popularized in Eastern Europe. This year’s summer Olympics at Athens will not see Korea’s first women’s world fencing champion on account of a torn knee cartilage. She grabbed headlines by winning the women’s individual epee gold at the 2002 World Championship held in Lisbon.
The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (International Federation of Fencing) is the premier governing body for fencing and oversees all international fencing tournaments. The 2003 – 2003 World Fencing Championships were held in Havana in Cuba. Keeth Smart of the U.S. rose to become a fencer of repute on the international arena. Stanislav Pozdniakov of Russia and Aldo Montano are other prize-winning fencers on the international circuit. The World Championships are held to determine individual and team champions for each weapon category. 1935 saw the first World Championships in fencing being held in Lausanne. It was also the first successful demonstration of electric jackets.
The U.S. Fencing Association organizes various competitions at the regional and national level. The USFA (United States Fencing Association) was originally started as the AFLA (Amateur Fencers League of America) in 1891. This association is affiliated to the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the International Federation for fencing founded in Paris in 1913. College fencing competitions are conducted under the auspices of the NCAA.